I sat down to write another column decrying the Bush administration's disregard for the needy and downtrodden. I started writing about the disappearance of "compassionate conservatism." David Kuo, the deputy director of Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives for most of his first term, stated "There was minimal senior White House commitment to the faith-based agenda...(they) never really wanted the 'poor people' stuff."
John J. DiIulio Jr., director of the same office, quit for the same reason seven months after Bush took office, telling Esquire the White House was "obsessed with the politics of the faith-based initiative but dismissive of the policy itself."
You get the point - compassion, like everything else, was a Bush sham. In fact, Bush admitted on tape that he smoked pot, but would deny it so that he would not set a bad example for kids. Good work, Mr. President - now kids can use your actions to justify smoking pot and to justify lying about it.
I don't need 700 words to show how the Bush administration can't be trusted. So let's forget about him, just like the rest of the world has in deciding to act to mitigate climate change. It may be too late to stop it completely, but the world has decided, wisely, not to wait for our President.
For starters, the Kyoto Protocol went into effect just weeks ago. The landmark agreement, though excluding the United States, Australia and developing nations, mandates that 141 signatories reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent by 2012. Though the emissions of the excluded countries are large, Kyoto will reduce overall global emissions.
And doing so doesn't have to be bad for the economy. AnNational Resources Defense Council study found 500,000 jobs would be created in the next 10 years by implementing the Climate Stewardship Act. The bipartisan bill would create a market-based credit system to encourage emissions reductions. This market-based system would require more minds to innovate, and energy savings would translate into increased consumption of service sectors by manufacturers and consumers. While the bill failed by just six votes last year, this new report tying it to job creation may bring it enough support to pass.
Emissions reduction might be achieved not only through government regulation, but via market forces as well. Big investors are finally realizing that the long-term health of their portfolios might be disrupted when California is lost under the waves of the Pacific. As such, 143 major institutional investors, under the umbrella of the Carbon Disclosure Project, have demanded not only greater transparency from corporations regarding their carbon emissions, but also annual progress reports on emission reduction. CDP's investment will depend upon emissions reductions.
If corporations don't listen to government or science, perhaps the $20 trillion these 143 investors control will get their attention. It's easier to get your message across when you speak your audience's language.
There are signs that corporations might also face greater scrutiny by law enforcement for environmental scandals outside of global warming. Their CEOs might finally face criminal charges, as the evil W.R. Grace and seven of his associates are now for their role in blanketing the town of Libby, Mont. in asbestos. Evil might be a strong word, but I don't know how else to describe someone who would knowingly donate asbestos-contaminated gravel to an elementary school to line an ice-skating rink, and to a high school to create a running track. Finally, we have stepped beyond slapping corporations with fines and regulations and are calling criminal environmental negligence what it is: a crime.
But back to global warming: We also can count on having more trees to take in excess carbon dioxide. Leaders of seven African nations have signed a treaty to protect 772 million square miles of tropical rainforests in and around the Congo basin.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Mathai will be the ambassador of the program. Her involvement will bring increased international attention, discouraging some corrupt African officials from doing anything but what they are supposed to: end the illegal trade in bushmeats, end illegal logging and develop a certification program to track the origin of lumber.
Bush may not care about African forests, and he doesn't care about global warming. Fortunately, there are many people who do, and they are doing something about it.
Rob Sand '05.5 admires Les Skramstad. Google him
